Chapter 2.2: The Encounter in the Forest
At night, an entirely different hell awaited them.
In the darkness of the forest where even moonlight could not reach, what echoed was the steady rhythm of footsteps.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Multiple sounds, approaching from all directions.
Before they could even hold their breath, countless crimson eyes appeared in the darkness.
Gray wolves covered in bristling fur.
Their mouths foamed with blood, and not a trace of reason remained in their eyes.
“Relics Wolvesā¦”
Someone muttered in a strained voice.
Mad wolves that constantly sought blood.
They were not satisfied with carrionāthey craved warm blood.
“Your Highness, fall backā”
“If you have time to retreat, then move forward!”
Aurora drew her sword and leapt ahead.
A single flash imbued with lightning severed the neck of one lunging wolf.
But the others did not falter.
Instead, the scent of blood excited them further, and they attacked even more fiercely.
The guards formed a circle, backs together.
Aurora stood at the front, cutting down wolves with sword and magic.
āSuch battles continued for days.
Cyclopes.
Evil Treants.
Relics Wolves.
High-ranking orcs.
Even small dragon-types.
It was like a āshowcase of hell.ā
Aurora was at a hero-level.
Her guards were around level 30, and even the lowest maid was level 25.
And yetā
They could barely survive.
As these battles continued, Aurora began to notice something strange.
āā¦The terrain is odd.ā
It wasnāt just forest.
Beyond dense trees, valleys suddenly appeared, or hills rose like small mountains.
From the outside, it looked like a simple forest.
But the deeper they went, the more unnatural it felt.
One day, they rested on a small hill with a rock wall behind them.
While hiding in the shadows, they ate lightly.
“Your Highness, the terrain aheadā¦”
“It slopes into a valley. There are cliff-like areas.”
Listening to reports, Aurora looked at her mapāstill mostly blank parchment.
Then she muttered faintly.
“ā¦Another world.”
“Your Highness?”
“This forest itself is a dungeon.”
The air tightened instantly.
A dungeon.
Places where magic accumulated, forming spaces where monsters were born.
They were both dangerous and valuable.
Butā
“Iāve never heard of a dungeon this large.”
Aurora spoke quietly.
“No wonder so many never return. From outside, you canāt tell. But once insideā¦”
“Returning becomes difficultā¦”
A guard said pale-faced.
“And only someone like Your Highness would even realize itā¦”
“Thatās why itās been left alone.”
Aurora exhaled.
But dungeons always had limits.
And when that limit cameā
Stampede.
When monsters overflowed beyond capacity.
A disaster.
And this forestās monsters were too strong to control.
It would require a national effort.
āā¦We must bring this information back.ā
Aurora made her decision.
“ā¦Alright.”
She stood and looked at everyone.
“All guards, return and report this.”
“What?”
“This forest is a dungeon. Inform the capital.”
The guards widened their eyes.
“Then you as wellā”
“I will remain here.”
She answered immediately.
“What!?”
“I will investigate further.”
“Donāt be ridiculous!”
A guard shouted.
“We cannot leave you behind!”
Aurora shook her head.
“Please.”
Her voice trembled.
“Let me go.”
She looked like she might cry.
“Iā¦ am tired of living.”
Silence filled the forest.
“My husband died.”
She continued.
“I hated them. Burned them. But I canāt fight them anymore.”
Her fists clenched.
“My anger has nowhere to go. If I fight, I harm my country. If I seek revenge, I harm others.”
She lowered her gaze.
“So at least hereā¦ I wanted to burn out without hurting anyone.”
“You meanā”
“I was looking for a place to die.”
No one could respond.
Her heart had already broken long ago.
At that momentā
The air changed.
“Above!”
A shadow crossed the sky.
A dragon.
Even if small, unmistakably a dragon.
“Bad timingā¦!”
It roared and opened its mouth.
“Scatter!”
A heat beam swept the ground.
Trees turned to ash instantly.
“This altitudeā¦!”
They were being attacked from above.
If this continued, they would be worn down.
They could probably winābut casualties were certain.
āSomeone will die.ā
Aurora clenched her teeth.
āI wonāt drag them into my selfish death.ā
She gripped her sword.
“Your Highness!?”
“Stay back!”
She dashed forward.
Gathering magic in her legs, she ran up the cliff.
“Iāll strike its wingsā”
A single decisive blow.
Miss, and she dies.
Hit, and it falls.
āIf I die here, so be it.ā
Her husbandās face flashed in her mind.
āBut at leastā¦ Iāll kill this one.ā
She gathered magicā
At that moment.
A massive hole suddenly opened in the dragonās body.
“…What?”
Its body was blown apart.
A beam of light and heat pierced the sky.
A high-level magic beyond even Auroraās capability in combat.
The dragon collapsed without even a scream.
It fell into the forest with a thunderous crash.
Before the echo fadedā
“Huh? People?”
A carefree voice came from above.
A man stood atop the rock wall.
“…What are you doing in a place like this?”
He jumped down lightly.
No chant. No visible magic.
Black hair.
A relaxed, sleepy face.
Butā
āā¦He looks similar.ā
Just slightly, he resembled her late husband.
Her chest tightened.
The man tilted his head.
“Umā¦ are you lost?”
That was how Aurora and Yu first met.